String-wound spring motor



Nov. 8, 1966 R. KAPLAN STRING'WOUND SPRING MOTOR Filed June 24, 1965 FIG.4

United States Patent 3,283,855 STRING-WOUND SPRING MOTOR Ruth Kaplan, New York, N.Y. (230-41 131st Ave, Laurelton, N.Y.) Filed June 24, 1965, Ser. No. 466,564 7 Claims. (Cl. 18539) The present invention relates to spring motors and, more particularly, to string-wound spring motors. In string-wound spring motors, as a .general rule, the drum on which the winding string is wound is directly opera tively connected to or coupled with the shaft of the motor mainspring. The unwinding of the string from the drum winds up the motor main-spring and the unwinding of the main-spring rotates the drum to rewind the string thereon. Due to its construction, the main-spring may be rapidly and almost instantaneously wound up by the unwinding of the string from the drum. However, due to the breaking means generally provided in a spring motor, the main-spring unwinds gradually and slowly over a prolonged period of time. Consequently, the winding string remains dangling for a long period of time. Such construction requires a length of winding string that is commensurate with the length of the main-spring and tends to limit the length of the main-spring and the period of time during which the motor may operate, because of the impracticality of providing and handling a winding string of more than limited length.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to avoid the foregoing disadvantages and limitations by providing the winding drum with a certain type of string rewinding tensioning means that is independent of the main-spring of the motor, and with means for operatively coupling the drum with the main-spring shaft only upon the unwinding of the string; the coupling means being automatically releasable for rewinding on the drum that rotates under the tension of its independent tensioning spring. As heretofore contemplated, the means for operatively coupling and uncoupling the drum and the shaft of the main-spring consisted of a ratchet and pawl. Such coupling and uncoupling means has proven unsatisfactory because of the frequently occurring difficulties that interfered with the pivotal movement of the pawl for bringing it in and out of contact with the ratchet wheel and of the tendency of such pawl to otherwise fail in its action.

The present invention is directed to a mechanism for coupling and uncoupling the winding drum with the shaft of the main-spring which, though automatic, is positive in its action, so that it work effectively and move each time the string is manually pulled to unwind from the drum to couple the drum with the main-spring shaft and to positively move to uncouple the drum each time the spring is released for rewinding on the drum.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a drum coupling and uncoupling mechanism for a spring motor, of the character described, which operates automatically upon the tensioning and releasing of the winding string.

It is still another object of the preset invention to provide a coupling and uncoupling mechanism, of the character described, which is formed of few strong and sturdy parts that will remain operatively effective as long as the motor itself, and will require little, if any, attention for maintenance and repair.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coupling mechanism, of the character described, which is relatively compact and relatively economical to produce and assemble with a spring motor.

It is still further object of the present invention to provide a coupling mechanism, of the character described, which may be used with a motor on which the main-spring is wound and unwound on the same shaft, as well as with motors in which the main-spring is wound and unwound from one shaft to another.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the spring motor of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawing, and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiments are shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a spring motor, having the string-winding mechanism of the present invention; shown as associated with a pair of wheels, such as of a toy vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, sectional, and partly elevational view of the motor of FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale. taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

Generally stated, the invention resides in the utilization, instead of the pawl and ratchet arrangement, as heretofore used, of a spring-tensioned string-winding drum freely and rotataibly supported on the driving shaft of the motor and provided with a toothed circular clutch member, likewise fitted freely about the driving shaft, of a second clutch member, which is slidably keyed on the driving shaft and is movable thereover into engagement with the first clutch member by means engaged by the winding string movement from the drum.

Referring now, in greater detail, to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the same is shown to comprise an outer U-shaped frame 10 and an inner U-shaped frame 12, within and to one side of said outer frame. Supported on the outer frame 10, as in bearings 14, on the sidesthereof, and extending through the sides of the inner frame, is a driving shaft 16 of polygonal, such as rectangular, cross-section, whose ends may be engaged in the hubs of wheels 18 of a vehicle. The shaft 16 supports between the sides of the inner frame 12 the motor spring 20 and a driving gear 22 of a gear train, generally designated as 24, which includes the breaking fly wheels or vanes 26.

Mounted on center over the shaft 16, exteriorly of inner frame 12, is a hollow cylinder 28, one edge of which may be fixedly secured to the adjacent upright wall of the inner frame member 12, in which is disposed, in relatively closely-fitting rotatable relation, a hollow cylindrical wi nding drum 30, provided with a circumferentially-arranged recess 32, for receiving windings of a string 34, one end of which may be secured to the drum 30' in the conventioina'l manner, and a free end of may extend to the exterior of the drum through an opening 38 formed in the wall of the cylinder 28. The drum 30 may preferably be provided at its outer end with an inwardly-ere tending flange 40, defining a circular opening 42, and the flange is preferably formed with an outwardly otfset extension or 'hub 44. The outer end of the cylinder 28 may he provided with a closure wall 46- formed with an opening 48 into which the hub 44 of the drum 30 may closely and rotatably fit.

A drum-tensioning spring 50 is disposed within the drum 30, one of which may be anchored on the drum, as on the flange 42 thereof, as at 52, and the other end of which maybe anchored on the frame, as on the adjacent leg of the inner frame member 12, as at 54.

Secured within the opening 42 defined by the drum flange 40 is a clutch member 56, which extends outwardly of the opening and i provided on its outer edge with serrated teeth 58; the clutch member 56 being freely rotatable with the drum 30 around the shaft 16 and the teeth 58, having straight sides facing the direction of string unwinding, connected by sloping sides facing in the opposite direction. A complementary cooperating clutch member 60 is keyed slidably, as by its rectangular opening 62 on the shaft 16; clutch member 60 being provided with teeth 64 adapted to mesh with teeth 58 of clutch member 56 when the former is slid over the shaft 16 into engagement with the latter.

In order to positively slide the clutch member 60 into engagement with clutch member 56, there is provided an arm 66, preferably of resilient characteristics, which is provided with a preferably elongated opening 68 at one end by which it is fitted over the shaft 16 and with an opening, preferably defined by an eyelet 70, at its other end, through which the projecting end 36 of the string extends. The clutch member 60, the arm 66, and the adjacent upright wall of the outer frame member are so arranged that when string 34 is manually pulled to unwind it from the drum 30, the end of the arm 66 having the opening 70 will abut against and be pivoted on the adjacent wall of the frame member 10 and the end thereof through which the string projection 36 passes will be moved in alinement with the opening 38 to thereby tilt the arm 66 diagonally against the clutch member 60 to slide it into engagement with the clutch member 56.

In order to facilitate and ensure the movement of the clutch member 60 by the arm 66, as it is operated by the Winding string 34, the end of the arm 66 may be offset in the direction of the adjacent frame Wall, as at 72, so as to provide improved pivoting means for the arm and bring it closer to the outer face of the clutch member 60.

The operation of the motor is as follows. The pulling of the Winding string 34 by its projecting end will rotate the drum 30 to tense tension spring 50. The pulling of the string 34 will also tension its projecting part which is engaged in the opening 70' of arm 66. This will cause the arm 66 to bear against the clutch member 60, as shown in FIG. 1, so as to bring its teeth into engagement with the teeth of clutch member 56 and thereby operatively engage shaft 16 with the drum 30 and cause spring 50 to be wound up, as string 34 continues to be unwound. Upon release of the string 34, after it is unwound from the drum 30, arm 66 will be freed from bearing against clutch member 60 and the start of the return rotation of the drum under tension of spring 50 to string-winding position will cause teeth 58 of clutch member 56 to bear against teeth 64 of clutch 60, to disengage the clutch members and thereby permit the drum to rewind string '34 substantially instantaneously and independently from the much slower unwinding of the motor spring 50.

This completes the description of the string-wound spring motor of the present invention and the manner in which it operates. It will be readily apparent that by the mechanism of the present invention dangling winding strings are eliminated. It will also be apparent that by the mechanism of the present invention long-running spring motors that may have relatively long motor springs which may run for as long as twenty minutes or more, may be wound by relatively short winding strings by rapid, successive unwinding and rewinding of such relatively short strings from the drum. It will likewise be apparent that the mechanism of the present invention is positively operated for engagement of the winding drum with the spring shaft for Winding the motor spring, and automatically but positively mechanically operated for instaneous disengagement of the winding drum from the motor spring shaft.

It will additionally be apparent that the mechanism of the present invention is of relatively sturdy and simple construction, will be durable, and will require little, if any, attention for maintenance and repair.

It will also be apparent that numerous variations and modifications may be made in the string-wound spring motor of the present invention by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such variations and modifications that may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. In a string-wound spring motor, including a frame, a winding shaft supported on said trams and a main motor spring connected to said shaft, a string-winding drum, means supported said drum for rotation independently of said shaft, a string wound on said drum, resilient means tensioning said drum against rotation in string-unwinding direction, a first clutch member connected to said drum and rotatable therewith a second clutch member supported for movement into and out of engagement with said first clutch member and operably connected with said shaft for rotation therewith, and means supported on said frame and engaged bysaid string and actuated thereby, when tensioned to unwind from said drum, to engage said second clutch member to move it into engagement with said first clutch member.

2. The string-wound spring motor of claim 1, wherein said first clutch mernber automatically moves said second clutch member out of engagement therewith when said drum moves in string-winding direction.

3. The string-wound spring motor of claim 2, wherein said drum and said clutch member connected thereto are supported for rotation about said shaft and said second clutch member is slidably keyed on said shaft for rotation therewith.

4. The string-wound spring motor of claim 3, wherein said clutch members are formed with interfitting teeth on their contacting faces, the teeth of said first clutch member each having the side thereof facing the direction of rotation of said drum into string-unwinding position parallel to the longitudinal axis of said shaft and its other side at an angle to said one side and connected to said one side of the adjacent tooth, the teeth of said second clutch member being complementary to the teeth of said first clutch member.

5. The string-wound spring motor of claim 3, wherein said means supporting said drum comprises a cylindrical tubular housing mounted on center around said shaft, said drum fitting closely and rotatable within said housing, said housing having an opening Wherethrough said string extends.

6. The string-wound spring motor of claim 5, wherein said drum is hollow and said tensioning means comprises a coil spring disposed with the hollow of said drum, about said shaft, one end of said spring anchored on said drum and the other end on a portion of said frame.

7. The string-wound spring motor of claim 3, wherein said means engaged and actuated by said spring to move said second clutch member comprises an arm having a slot adjacent one end whereby 'it is supported over said shaft adjacent said second clutch member and having an opening at its other end wherethrough said string is extended, said first end of said arm engageable against and pivotable on a portion of said frame when said string is pulled taut, to thereby engage against said second clutch member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 212,926 3/1879 Groth -37 1,465,663 8/1923 Graham 185-39 3,137,366 6/1964 Rassier 18539 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,252 1914 Great Britain.

EDGAR W. GEOGHEGAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A STRING-WOUND SPRING MOTOR, INCLUDING A FRAME, A WINDING SHAFT SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAME AND A MAIN MOTOR SPRING CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT, A STRING-WINDING DRUM, MEANS SUPPORTED SAID DRUM FOR ROTATION INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID SHAFT, A STRING WOUND ON SAID DRUM, RESILIENT MEANS TENSIONING SAID DRUM AGAINST ROTATION IN STRING-UNWINDING DIRECTION, A FIRST CLUTCH MEMBER CONNECTED TO SAID DRUM AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH A SECOND CLUTCH MEMBER SUPPORTED FOR MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST CLUTCH MEMBER AND OPERABLY CONNECTED WITH SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, AND MEANS SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAME AND ENGAGED BY SAID STRING AND ACTUATED THEREBY, WHEN TENSIONED TO UNWIND FROM SAID DRUM, TO ENGAGE SAID SECOND CLUTCH MEMBER TO MOVE TO INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST CLUTCH MEMBER. 